Hidden Among Us
by thatcoyotegirlwolf
Summary: The new kid in town, Aladdin, enlists the help of Cinderella, Jim and Eric to help save the forest that he calls home, and the magical creatures that are his family. Along the way, they all learn the meaning of trust, friendship and acceptance.
1. Chapter 1

They never knew the change had been made. All they knew was that by some miracle, their child lived. They called her Cinderella.

Although raised well, Cinderella was a plain child. She was smart, but never popular. Her parents, Maurice and Sarah Hawkins, were poor, and couldn't give her much.

When Cinderella was 14, Maurice lost his job. As a result, Cinderella hired herself out as a maid in the afternoons. She would have quit school altogether and worked full time, like her mother, but Sarah wouldn't let her, believing that, with a good education, her daughter could go far in life.

Cinderella's dress became ragged over the years, but her parent's couldn't afford to buy her a new one, or even make one. No boy in school even looked her way because they saw her as below them. And as time went on, it became apparent that things would remain as they were.

So she remained friendless until her 16th birthday, when her life would change forever.

When she woke up that morning, it was just another day. She got up and got ready for school, like she always did. She arrived at school 5 minutes early, like she always did. She was greeted by the bully's making fun of her. Like always.

"Hey, Cinders."

"Sleep well in the fireplace?"

One boy threw mud at her. "Hey, Cinder-soot, you missed a spot."

One of the bigger boys bumped into her, causing her to drop her books. "Hey, watch where you're going, soot."

A girl kicked the books away as Cinderella was trying to pick them up. "Oops. So sorry."

As Cinderella scrambled around trying to get her books, the unexpected happened: someone stood up for her.

"Hey, cut it out! Leave her alone!"

They did. And everyone, including Cinderella, stared at him in shock. No one had ever stood up for her before. But for some strange reason, he had.

Then the warning bell rang, and everyone scrambled to class. But Cinderella couldn't get that boy out of her head. He had been dressed like an upper class family, all in white, but his ruffled black hair and his crooked smile set him apart from the others.

As soon as the last bell rang, Cinderella gathered up her courage and walked up to him.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "Why did you stand up for me?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You weren't standing up for yourself."

She ducked her head. "I never do."

He looked at her curiously. "How come?"

"I don't know," she answered. "What's the use? They just come back."

"That's not the point," he told her gently. "You've got to prove that you can stand up for yourself. Only then will they respect you."

Cinderella shook her head. "I don't need their respect anyway. Nobody likes me. Just ask anyone."

She turned to leave, but he stopped her. "Maybe you haven't given them a chance."

She turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

"Look," he said, "I know it's hard being different, but if you're willing to try, you can fit in among everyone else."

"I don't want to fit in," Cinderella said, a bit harsher than she had intended. "I'm just a freak of nature to them, and always will be. And they're such jerks, I don't want to be like them at all!"

He looked surprised, and a little hurt. ""Look, I'm just trying to help, that's all."

"Why?" she challenged him. "Why would you want to help me?"

"Because we have something in common," he answered.

She rolled her eyes. He was rich, she was poor. What could they possibly have in common? "Like what?"

He shrugged. "You said it yourself. We're both freaks of nature, and always will be. Look," he said, lowering his voice and looking around to make sure no one was listening. "The tribes are gathering. We need you with us."

Cinderella was surprised. "Why me?"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Because this concerns you, as well as us."

"Who are you?"

He smiled, and held out his hand. "Aladdin. Aladdin Li. And you?"

She smiled back, and shook his hand. "Cinderella Hawkins."

"Well, Cinderella," he asked, serious again. "Will you help us?"

"Help who?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"All the other freaks of nature hidden among us, but never seen."

Cinderella just stared at him. Surely he was playing some kind of joke on her. But no, his eyes were dead serious as they looked into hers. And that made her more uncomfortable than ever. She began to back away, frightened. "Surely it's not me you want. Surely it's someone else. It has to be."

"No," he insisted, "no it's you."

He reached for her again, but she turned and ran, not stopping till she reached the edge of her driveway. She just stood there for a few minutes panting, extremely frightened.

"Oh, if only tomorrow was a holiday," she cried. But it wasn't. She would have to go back to school and face him again. That thought was on her mind all through work that day, and when night came around, she didn't sleep a wink.

The next day, when she arrived at school, the bully's ignored her. She looked around, and saw that Aladdin was talking to a boy who looked a few years younger than the rest of the students. He was dressed in poor clothing as well, wearing a black shirt under a deep brown sailor's coat and deep green pants that were tucked into his boots. His brown hair was in a mess around his eyes, except for the rat tail that hung at the back of his neck. He looked so out of place, she wondered if Aladdin had to save him too.

Relieved that Aladdin hadn't seen her, Cinderella slid into her seat just as the bell rang. About five minutes into class, however, she could feel herself being stared at. Glancing around, she saw a boy with black hair and piercing eyes steadily staring at her. She tried to motion him to look at the teacher, but to no avail. He just kept on staring at her throughout the entire class, making her more and more uncomfortable, so that by the end of class, she hadn't learned a thing.

After the last bell had rung that day, Cinderella leaned against her locker, yawned and rubbed her eyes. When she looked around, she saw the boy Aladdin had been talking to earlier looking at her. She tensed up, bracing herself for another encounter, but he simply walked away, not giving her a second glance. All throughout the day, she wondered who those boys were, and why they were so interested in her.

The lady Cinderella worked for, woman named Juliana, waved Cinderella over late that afternoon, before Cinderella went home.

"Something has come up with my mother," Juliana told her, "and she needs me to go stay with her for a while. All my mail will be forwarded to me there." She sighed, then continued. "I'm afraid I won't be needing your help for a while. If you would, it would be nice if you could check on the house now and then, at your convenience, just to make sure that no one has broken in or anything, but that would be all. And if you need a reference," Juliana added, reaching into her pocket and handing Cinderella a piece of paper, "you can write me at this address, or call me at that number, and I'll be happy to recommend you."

"Thank you, miss," Cinderella said as she received her money for the day, but her heart sank. Even that little bit of cash each day helped, and now it was gone. She would have to find a new job, and fast, before the next bill was due.

When Cinderella got home that night, she told her parents the news, but Maurice had some news of his own.

"I got a job today!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I start tomorrow. I'll be repairing machines at the factory when they break down. It's not the best of jobs, but it pays well."

"That's wonderful, Father!" Cinderella told him, relieved that they wouldn't be affected by her lost job.

"Cinderella," Maurice said, "Your mother and I have been talking. Now that I've got a decent paying job again, we want you to focus more on your studies. Make a friend, enjoy being a teenager while you can. It's not fair for you to have to grow up so fast."

"I don't mind, father," Cinderella said humbly. But Maurice shook his head.

"We mind," he insisted. "You should be enjoying yourself, not working the days away. Starting tomorrow, I want you to start being a regular teenager again. No more apron."

"We will still need your help around the house some," Sarah added, "but not nearly as much as a job would. If you want to go out some, go out. Just let us know."

Cinderella sighed with relief. "Yes, mother. Thank you. I love you both."

Sarah smiled at her daughter. "We love you too, sweetie."

Later that night, after she had finished her homework, Cinderella crawled into bed, wondering what the next day would bring.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The next morning at school, she had to pass Aladdin on the way to class. She kept walking, hoping that he wouldn't notice her. But he did.

"Hey, Cinderella, wait up!"

She sighed and turned to him. "What now?"

"Look, we really do need your help," he told her.

"With what?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to answer when the bell rang. And for the first time in years, Cinderella hated that bell.

"Meet me in the park after school," he said as he hurried away. "It's really important."

Cinderella nodded, then rushed to class, just barely making it to her seat in time.

After school, Cinderella went home and thought about what Aladdin had said. "Maybe they really do need me," she thought. Having nothing else to do, and feeling she had to take the chance, she left a note for her parents and headed to the park.

When she arrived at the park, Cinderella found Aladdin there waiting for her, along with those other two strange boys at school. As soon as he saw her, Aladdin waved her over.

"You made it! Good. Now we're all here."

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Cinderella asked him.

Aladdin's face darkened. "The termination of a species, that's what's going on."

The boy that had stared at Cinderella in class now stared at Aladdin. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Aladdin opened his mouth to answer, then stopped. "Where are my manners? None of you know each other!"

"Al," the boy with the rat tail said warningly, but Aladdin waved him off.

"No, really, it will only take a second. Everyone, this is Cinderella, Eric," (the guy who stared a lot) "Jim," (the guy with the rat tail) "and I'm Al. Now, back to the matter at hand. Have any of you been in the forest just beyond this park?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. Eric and Jim had just moved into town within the past few weeks, and Cinderella never went near those woods if she could help it.

"None of you?" Aladdin asked again, but he didn't seem surprised. "Then you have no idea of the fantastical creatures living in that forest. But I do, because I live there. And now someone is trying to take my home and burn it to the ground. And we have no defense against them."

Eric spoke up. "Well, if it's your home, then you should have legal defense."

"Well we don't," Aladdin insisted. "You have to understand, I am not one of them, just as you are not one of them." Everyone looked confused. "Come on, I'll show you what I mean."

Aladdin led them into the forest. "We of the forest have managed to hide many years among humans, undetected, unknown. But all that is about to change. If humans knew of our existence, they would wipe us out. You know this." Here he stopped and looked at the others. "We have seen your gifts. We respect them, and they are beautiful to us. But they are not beautiful to them, and if they found out, then you would be in as much danger as we are. So I'm begging you, please help us, for the sake of all of us, including you."

Eric and Jim looked at each other nervously, but Cinderella was just confused. She didn't understand anything he was talking about, but she didn't wish to hurt him by letting him know that, so she just nodded, not saying anything.

"How can we help?" Eric asked.

But Jim was more cautious. "What gifts are you talking about?"

Aladdin smiled mischievously. "You know your own." Then he disappeared. Cinderella, Eric and Jim looked around, startled.

Then Cinderella felt something crawling up her skirt. Looking down, she saw a mouse. She screamed, and Jim instinctively grabbed it. He was about to throw it when a voice said, "Hey, relax, it's me!" And the mouse turned into a cat in his hand. Jim yelped in surprise and dropped the cat on the ground. It transformed back into Aladdin before their eyes.

All three of them stared in shock as he stood up and walked towards them. "Now you know," Aladdin said simply. "This is what this forest hides. Strange 'freaks of nature', as they call us. And now they want to destroy our land, and so destroy us. Not many of us can walk among man undetected. We are a precious few, and those of us who can must walk among men, to stop this before more damage is done."

"More damage?" Cinderella asked weakly.

"Come," Aladdin said. "I'll show you." He led them to a part of the forest that was nothing but ash. They all stared a moment before Aladdin spoke. "This is what they've done to the land I called home. And this is what they wish to do to my people. Destroy them, wipe them out. We can't let that happen. Not now, not ever. We've got to stop them."

"But how?" Cinderella asked. "What could we do?"

"We must stand together," Aladdin explained. "Form an alliance. Each of us use our own gifts to protect this forest, and let no man enter without our will."

"What gifts are you talking about, Aladdin?" Cinderella finally asked him.

He smiled at her sadly, but Eric spoke up. "What do you mean, 'what gifts'? You have them, don't you?"

"Have what?" Cinderella asked.

Aladdin came to her defense. "She doesn't know. But she will soon enough. Meanwhile, what are your gifts? How can you help us most?"

"You already know," Jim said bitterly.

"I know, but the others don't," Aladdin pushed gently. Eric and Jim hesitated. "Come on, we're all one team here. We should trust one another." Still they remained silent. "Am I the only one here willing to take a risk? Fine, I'll start. I'm a shape shifter. I can change into any animal I want. Jim?"

Jim sighed, then spoke. "I'm a werewolf. When the moon is out, I can transform into a beast. But I don't do any harm to humans. I just hunt."

Aladdin nodded. "Good. Eric?"

Eric took a deep breath. "I'm telechenetic. I can move things with my mind. But it's not natural," he insisted.

Aladdin shrugged. "Natural is a point of view. And it'sd time we put your gift to good use."

"Wait," Jim spoke up. "What about her?"

Aladdin turned to Cinderella. "Do you know your gift yet?" he asked her gently.

She shook her head. "No," she admitted, "I didn't know I had one."

"You do," Aladdin insisted, "and you'll learn it soon enough."

"How do you know?" Jim challenged him. "How do you know she has a gift?"

"I see it," Aladdin answered simply.

"Then what is it?" Jim asked.

"I won't say," Aladdin told him stubbornly.

"you're the one who said we have to trust each other," Jim reminded him.

"She deserves to learn it for herself," Aladdin insisted. "If we show it to her now, she may look for it so hard that she misses it completely. But if we let her find it on her own, then she will learn to use it properly, and be a greater help to us in the long run."

"Yeah," Jim admitted reluctantly, "I guess you're right. I just wish we knew what she is."

"Trust me, so do I," Cinderella told him.

Eric asked curiously, "how long do you think it will take to find out?"

"Not long," Aladdin answered, "I hope. But for right now, we've got to work with what we got. So let's meet the rest of the team, shall we?"

And he led them deeper into the forest, where they saw a short man with the legs of a goat talking to a beautiful young Native American woman.

"That," Aladdin said, pointing to the goat man, "is my brother, Phil. He's a faun. He's fast, strong, loyal – his only weakness is drink. So long as the enemy doesn't offer him a glass of wine, he's on our side."

Jim looked at Aladdin sharply, but Aladdin just continued quickly, "And that girl he's flirting with is Pocahontas. She's a driad. Lives in that tree over there."

"She's beautiful," Eric said quietly.

Aladdin turned to him with a grin. "You think she's pretty? Come on, I want to show you something." He led them to a nearby stream where a girl was wading. "That's Kida, a naiad. She lives here, going up and down the stream all day. Now that's a sight for sore eyes, isn't it?"

Cinderella looked at Aladdin. Why did she feel a twinge of jealousy all of a sudden?

But Aladdin didn't notice. He just turned back to them, saying, "Come on, we're not done yet."

He led them to a beach, where a man that was half horse was talking to a woman in the water. "That guy over there," Aladdin said, pointing to the horse man, "is my father, Shang. He's a centaur. And the lady he's talking to is Ariel, a mermaid."

"Woah," Jim muttered.

Aladdin grinned at him. "Don't be getting any ideas. She's over twice your age."

"Are you serious?" Jim asked in shock.

"Of course I'm serious."

Jim objected, "well, she doesn't look it."

"I know," Aladdin told him casualy, "but you know those two girls I just showed you? They're her daughters."

Jim couldn't think of anything to answer, he was so shocked. Aladdin laughed. "Come on. They're the ones we have to talk to."

Aladdin led them over. "Hi, Dad," he called.

Shang looked over. "I see you brought them," he stated.

"Yep," Aladdin answered. "All three of them"

"That's all?" Ariel asked, disappointed. I was hoping there would be more than that."

"It will be enough," Shang assured her. Then, looking at Aladdin, he asked, "What are their gifts?"

"Werewolf, telechenetic, and… I brought her as well," Aladdin answered.

"You mean she doesn't know yet?" Ariel asked. Aladdin shook his head. Ariel looked at Cinderella with a new look in her eyes. "My child," she said gently, "you have much to learn. Are you ready to hear what must be said?"

"I think so," Cinderella answered hesitantly.

Ariel shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "Don't think, believe. What you will hear will sound impossible, but it is true. And you must believe it to understand it."

"All right," Cinderella said nervously, "I'm ready."


	3. Chapter 3

So Ariel began: "Cinderella, you are not what you think you are, nor is your family truly yours. Soon after you were born, your true parents died, and you were switched with a human child who would not live. Your human parents did not know the switch was made and so raised you as their own, a miracle child, just as they would have if you truly were theirs. But as time went on, you felt the difference, didn't you? You knew you didn't belong among men. But not knowing where you did belong, you remained and became what you are today: a self-proclaimed outcast who doesn't believe in herself. But this can change. It must change, and soon; because if it doesn't your gift will remain crippled for life."

"But what is my gift?" Cinderella exclaimed at last. "You have yet to tell me who I am."

"Or what," Eric added.

"You're a fairy," Ariel said simply. "A Fairy of the Hollow."

A strange look came over Eric's face. "The Hollow?" he asked. "But I thought they were all killed out."

"Killed?" Ariel asked. "Where did you learn of this?"

Eric was surprised. "I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't even know I knew it." Ariel looked worried.

Jim looked around. "There's big magic at work here. I can feel it."

"Eric," Ariel asked worried, "are you yourself?"

Eric looked offended. "Of course I'm myself. Who else would I be?"

"And you're in complete control of yourself?" Ariel pushed gently.

"Of course I can control myself," Eric snapped. "I don't need anyone telling me what to do or say."

Aladdin looked puzzled. "No one told you to do or say anything."

Eric became confused, and grew quiet.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Ariel asked him.

"I'm fine," Eric answered quickly, but he didn't feel so sure.

Everyone else looked at each other, worried, but decided not to persue the matter.

After talking for a while, it was decided that Jim would guard the forest alone that night; it would be a full moon, when he was most alert, and unable to control his change. That way, the others in the forest could sleep. (They had been watching over the forest for several nights now, and desperately needed rest.)

Since Aladdin would be around her every day anyway, it was decided that he would help Cinderella discover her gift better. Eric, with his genius level IQ, was in charge of finding out all he could about the company trying to destroy the forest, and hopefully come up with some sort of loophole to stop them.

As Aladdin was walking her home, Cinderella asked him, "What kind of 'gift' is being a fairy, anyway? I mean, what kind of special talents do I have?"

"I'm not exactly sure," he admitted. "You'll have to find that out yourself. But I do know one special thing that comes with it."

Cinderella looked at him. "What?" she asked.

He smiled. "Beauty."

"What are you talking about?" she objected. "I'm the most plain-looking girl I know."

Aladdin stopped and took her hand gently. "No you're not. Listen, you saw Pocahontas and Kida?"

Cinderella sighed. "I wish I could be half as pretty as they are."

"You are," Aladdin told her, looking into her eyes. "And more. You just don't see it yet. But those who see you for who you are, they see it. And one day you'll see it too."

When she walked in the door, Sarah greeted her. "Supper's ready. Did you have a good day, sweetheart?"

"Very different, but not too bad," Cinderella answered as she sat at the table.

"Did you make some new friends?" Maurice asked as they started to eat.

Cinderella smiled. "You know what, I think I did."

That night, in bed, Cinderella thought about what Aladdin had said. And then, out of nowhere, she heard those same words in her head, in a much different voice, like a memory long forgotten. Had someone said those words to her before, and if so, who? Her parents, her real parents? Or someone she had never known? The thought troubled her, and she lay awake for a long time, wondering.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Cinderella entered school, surrounded by the usual insults. She just stood there, silent eyes turned down, waiting for the warning bell when they would leave her alone. But it wasn't the bell that saved her. It was Jim.

Walking up to the biggest bully, named Gaston, Jim spun the guy around until they were looking eye to eye. "Leave her alone," Jim warned Gaston.

"Or what?" Gaston asked.

Now Jim was a little smaller than most of the guys in school, but his strength made up for that. He slammed Gaston in to the wall by his neck. Gaston struggled to get free. Finally he gasped, "Ok, ok, we'll leave her alone." Jim released him, and Gaston rubbed his neck, shrugging away his fear in indifference. "Hey, you want to be friends with a freak, that's fine by me."

Jim glared at him. "Better a freak than an idiot," he shot back. Jim took Cinderella's arm, and gently led her away, leaving the bullies to plot their revenge.

When they were out of earshot, Cinderella looked at Jim gratefully. "Thank you."

"When are you gonna learn to stand up for yourself?" Jim snapped at her. "I'm not always gonna be here, you know."

Cinderella became so angry at him that, instead of looking down, she snapped back. "Why did you help me then? Why not just leave me be?"

"Is that what you wanted?" Jim asked her. "To be called names? Because you sure didn't look like you were enjoying it."

Cinderella sighed. "Of course I don't enjoy it. But I have grown to accept it."

"But it's not right," Jim told her, in a much softer tone. Cinderella was so surprised she wasn't sure how to respond. No one in school had ever cared enough to tell her that what the bullies were doing was wrong, and should be stopped. And deep down inside, Cinderella knew that she would have to be the one to stop it.

Later that day, they all gathered to discuss their next move. Eric turned to Jim. "How did last night go?" Eric asked.

Jim shrugged. "Quiet."

"Good," Eric answered.

Aladdin asked Eric, "Have you found out about the contractor yet?"

Eric shook his head. "Not yet, but I will, don't worry. These things take time."

"Time is something we don't have," Shang reminded him.

"I know, I'm sorry," Eric apologized. "Look, I might have the information you need by tomorrow."

"Go, then," Shang ordered.

Eric left. Jim watched him go. "You know, there's something not quite right about him."

Aladdin shook his head with a smile. "Well, there's something not quite right about you. Stop being so suspicious. We're all on the same team here."

Eric entered the public records office. The beautiful black-haired lady behind the desk greeted him with a smile. "May I help you with something?" she asked him with a voice as sweet and musical as a song. Her name tag read 'Vanessa'.

Eric smiled. "Yes. I would like to see the records for the contractor's agreement, for the forest."

Vanessa smiled. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't show you that."

"Why not?" Eric asked. "Isn't everything here freely accessible to the public?"

Vanessa looked at him. "May I ask why you would like to see them?"

"I'm doing a report for school about the forest," Eric lied, "and I need to know why it's being cut down."

"Come here," she said, motioning to him. He leaned closer. "It's being cut down," she told him quietly, "because the city wants it to be."

"Not everyone in the city agrees with that," Eric objected.

"Are you a reporter?" Vanessa asked suddenly.

"No," he answered, a little puzzled, "I wouldn't even know where to start with that. But I do get good grades in school, with the right information." He focused his mind on hers, trying to convince her that he was telling the truth.

Vanessa shrugged. "All right," she agreed. She looked in a drawer and pulled out a folder. "Here it is."

Eric looked in the folder. All the information he needed had been removed. "Hey," he exclaimed, "there's pages missing here."

"That's funny," Vanessa said puzzled, taking the folder and looking through it herself.

"Is there another copy of this?" Eric asked her.

"Not here, no," Vanessa answered, putting the folder away.

Eric persisted, "Do you know where I could find one?"

"Listen, Eric," Vanessa said in a much different voice, a rough low voice not musical at all, "You tell your friends the information was stolen, and you don't know where it is." She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. He blinked, a strange look coming over his face.

"Thanks for your help," he said, a little puzzled about what just happened.

"No problem," Vanessa said with a smile, her voice sweet and musical again. "Sorry it didn't work out."

Eric nodded and left. Vanessa laughed quietly. When she spoke, her voice was low and evil once again. "I think it's time for another sign."

When Eric arrived at the forest, Cinderella, Jim and Aladdin were there waiting for him.

"Eric!" Cinderella called, running up to him. "How did it go?"

Eric shook his head. "It didn't."

"What do you mean it didn't?" she asked.

"I mean the records are gone, stolen."

"By who?" Jim asked?

Eric shrugged. "We don't know. Whoever it was didn't leave any evidence. The woman who worked there didn't even know they were missing until we looked for them."

"Are you sure you looked in the right place?" Cinderella asked him gently.

"Of course I'm sure," Eric snapped defensively. "I know what I'm doing, and so does she. They weren't there. We looked everywhere."

"What about the contractors' office?" Aladdin asked. "Do they have a copy there?"

"I checked," Eric told him. "They were closed. I'll have to wait till tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," Cinderella reminded him. "They won't be open."

"When will they be open again?" Eric asked her.

"Monday," Cinderella said, discouraged.

"Shoot!" Eric said, annoyed.

"Well," Aladdin said, trying to be positive, "we've lasted this long. What's a few more days?"

Eric shook his head. "I hope you're right."

Late that night, a dark figure walked steadily toward the forest. He didn't worry about anyone stopping him; he knew no one could. And he had a plan for each and every one of them. He came to Phil first. He could have easily snapped the faun's neck, but he didn't want to kill them, just leave them a message. Using his mind, he brought out in plain sight of the faun a glass of wine that had been hidden there. Phil at first thought it was strange that a cup could float in midair, but when he saw the contents, he forgot his suspicions, grabbed the cup and began to drink greedily. Within seconds, he was in a deep sleep. Feeling another presence, the dark figure looked up and saw Aladdin approaching. Using his mind, the figure knocked Aladdin's legs out from under him, and then blinded him so he couldn't see. The figure then moved on, like a shadow into the forest.


End file.
